Director of a golf course community in Penn Township seeking players for Western Pa.'s newest facility

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Pockl is not sure which is a more demanding job.

"We have to get the word out," Pockl said. "Nobody knows we're here."

Pockl is more than just the course superintendent at Blackthorne, which opened nine holes in June. He also is serving as director of golf, which means his top priority is to recruit members and help develop Blackthorne into a private golf community on the order of Diamond Run and Treesdale.

The project actually began in 1993, during the height of golf-course construction in Western Pennsylvania. But Blackthorne didn't really start to fly until the current owners -- Fairway, LLC -- bought the property in 2002 and contracted the Palmer design company in '03 to complete the project.

Nine holes opened last summer, and the other nine are scheduled to be completed by fall 2007. When finished, the course will be built on approximately 170 acres and play at almost 6,800 yards.

"We think we have something special here," said Pockl, a Wheeling, W.Va., native who has worked on the project since 1999. "Now we want to get people to find out about us."

Golf-course construction in Western Pennsylvania -- and most areas around the country -- has been on the decline since 2000, the result of saturation and a steady three-year drop in the amount of rounds played.

After a decade of furious construction in which nearly 20 public and private courses sprouted in the Western Pennsylvania region, Blackthorne is the only course in the area considered to be "in the pipeline" -- a term the National Golf Foundation uses for course either being planned or under construction.

But Blackthorne is hoping to promote awareness and stimulate membership by allowing the public to play on a daily-fee basis for now ($30 for nine holes, $50 for 18 on weekdays; $35 for nine, $55 for 18 weekends).

Blackthorne has an appealing variety of holes, even if the project is only halfway complete. The only elevated tee shots are at Nos. 1 and 3, and in each instance a wide fairway levels off for a relatively flat approach. They have holes with length -- the 457-yard eighth is an outstanding par 4 to rival any in the area -- and the par 3s range from downhill No. 2 (which plays shorter than 184 yards) to the 198-yard seventh (replete with lake and fountain).

Even the shortest par 4 on the front is a gem: The 336-yard ninth plays over a lake and between four large sand bunkers to an uphill green. The hole is so good Blackthorne is considering a switch to make it the signature 18th hole when the course is finished.

"We feel we're finally under way," Pockl said.